Improvement in railroad-crossings



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HERMAN FR. THIEMEYER, oE BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.v

iMP`RoV'ME`NT iN RAILROAD'CROSSNGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No: 33,670, dated ovembei' d, 186:11.

To a/ZZ whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, HERMAN FRIEDERICH THIEMEYER, of Baltimore, in t-he county of Baltimore and State of Maryland, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Railroad-Crossings; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

My invention consists in a peculiar construction and arrangement of railroad-crossing for the purpose of greater security to cars against running oi the track.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure lis a top view of my improved railroad-crossing.

- Fig. 2 is an elevation of one of the bed-plates with the rail cast in one piece. Fig. 3 represents one of the tongues, hereinafter to be described.

Upon the ordinary sleepers A, Fig. 1, are arranged the bed-plates B, cast in the same piece with the rails C. These bed-plates have lrecesses b for the dirt to work out from under the swinging tongues E, thus keeping the floor clean and preventing any obstruction to the motion of said tongues. The tongues are connected with the bed-plate by means of a countersnnk bolt e, provided with an enlarged bearing e. When this tongue is closed, it forms a continuous rail with the rail C, the tip of the tongue fitting into a lip upon the rail C.

There are four tongues E, all connected by a peculiar arrangement of devices. Two rods G connect the tongues on opposite sides of the track, the rods being pivoted to the lips or arms b upon the tongues, thus preventing any cramping of the connecting-rods in swinging the tongues in and out. The ends of these rods G extend beyond the pivots through slots in plate B, the slots serving as guides to hold the connecting-rods G from rising or falling.

By means of countersunk bolts S rods Gare connected with the rods H, Which in turn are pivoted to the double lever I. This lever I has a fulcrum-pin z'. By placing the hand upon lever I one set of tongues E may be closed, while the other set are opened by the same stroke. Then the reverse stroke of the same lever opens one set of tongues and closes the other. Thus the position of all four of the tongues can be changed in a moment.

By practice I have found that the flanges of the car-Wheels will safely change the position of the tongues, opening one set and closing the other as the cars run by.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patentof the United States, is-

1. The'use ot' the bed-plates B, provided with the recesses b, in connection with the rail C and four swinging tongues E, substantially in the manner and for the purposes set forth.

2. The arrangement of the tongues, in combination with the double lever and the connecting-rods G and H, for thepurpose of givingacontinuous railon both sides of the track and for the purpose of opening one pair of tongues and closing the other pair by the same motion, substantially as described.

HERMAN FR. THIEMEYER.

Vitnesses;

EDM. F. BROWN, DANIEL BREED. 

